It's a cold day in Texas when you receive a request for maple flooring—until now, says Davis Bell, senior sales rep at Dallas-based The Builders Outlet Super Store, explaining that the area is a tried and true red oak and white oak market. "It came out of the blue," Bell says of the demand for maple, noting orders of the species doubled last summer. The widths being requested are similar—4- to 5-inch planks are popular—and customers still lean toward natural finishes and light gray tones, Bell adds. The new trend has kept Bell and his team busy as they educate installers about the unfamiliar species and attempt to become the go-to place for maple before the competition does. After dealing with oak for so long, Bell has embraced the change of pace: "It's fun for a salesperson to get to sell something a little bit different."
